Truth or Dare
by SomeKindofAuthor
Summary: Yes, the setting is a hotel and they're playing Truth or Dare. Yes, Max and Fang are asked to reveal the truth. But this is not a Fax story. This is a story about the family side of the Flock, the side I fell in love with, but the books seemingly forgot.


**Truth or Dare**

"Truth or Dare, Max."

"Dare."

Of course. The invincible Maximum Ride pass up an opportunity to show just how invincible and almighty she really was? Unthinkable.

Fang was probably smirking in the bed next to the one shared by Angel and Nudge. Max imagined the corners of his lips rise smugly as Iggy explained his dare for Max.

"All right. I dare you to-" Iggy laughed. "I dare you to go downstairs and flash the concierge."

Immediately, Max stood from her place on the floor and loomed over the couch where Iggy convulsed with laughter. "Dare not accepted," she muttered harshly at the perverted bird-kid lying below her. Though Max fired glares so evil they were practically palpable, Iggy's chuckling didn't stop.

"You know the consequences, Max." When Fang chimed in his two cents, the chortling from the blind kid grew to dangerous proportions.

"Right. So I eat a bit of dog poo. Iggy, however, will have to watch his butt for the next fifty years because I _won't_ be sending out warning when I kick it."

Not surprising to the Flock leader, the giggling from the couch ceased.

As Max walked back to her pile of blankets on the floor, she muttered, "Why did I even start this game anyway? And why must you play it in the _middle of the night_ when sane people are trying to snooze?"

"You didn't start this game, Ella did." Nudge reminded Max. "When you told her how bored you got with the whole running away deal, she suggested Truth or Dare. And Ella said that there was no point in playing Truth or Dare without punishment."

"And we play it in the middle of the night because a) you're agitated by the fact that it's three in the morning and you haven't yet had that dream about Fang and you and bed sheets—" Note to Self: Scratch Iggy's eyes out. He doesn't need them anyway. "And b) it only annoys you further that you have to eat dog crap."

"Two scoops of dog crap," Fang murmured sardonically. "Cone or cup?"

"I resent this!" Total exclaimed from his corner. "What I choose to do with the results of my digestion is _my_ business and should not be paraded around for punishment!"

"You dump your crap in midair—if we didn't collect it for games like these, it would no doubt land on some unsuspecting civilian wondering _what the heck are birds eating nowadays?"_ Iggy argued.

"I know a punishment that'll work!" Total retorted, "Have the Gasman eat several bean burritos and lock Max in a closet with him! How do you like _your_ digestive products exploited?"

"Hey, I'm game!" the Gasman said as though volunteering to eat cupcakes or dance the Macarena not be used as a torture device.

"It's such a stupid game," Max complained.

"I _love_ it," Iggy said. The stupid boy was still grinning despite the several threats on his life Max had thought in the past five minutes alone. Too bad he couldn't be the mind reader. Wait—no. That wouldn't work out. It would only give Iggy more ammunition against her. "Ella is a flocking _genius."_

"Yeah?" Max snapped. "Truth or Dare, Iggy?"

Only pansies picked Truth. Although Max figured it would be harder to answer a really incriminating question, she knew that no male in the Flock had ever shied away from a chance to prove whatever it was they felt they had to prove by picking Dare.

"Dare." By picking the latter, Iggy challenged Max. Could she pick a dare sufficient enough to make Iggy cry?

"Fine. I dare you to make out with Fang for seven minutes in heaven."

She expected a school-girl-like squeal, an "Ew, no way!", and perhaps a shove at Max for being so disgusting. Instead, a—dare she say, _enthusiastic_?—Iggy chirped, "No problem!" and proceeded to the Gazzy-Fang bed.

"Pucker up, hon." Iggy jumped on the bed, his arms poised to ensnare Fang should he have any objections.

"Back away from me before I kill you." The seriousness of Fang's threat stirred something in Max. At first she thought that something was fear, but then she realized it was just a bad case of the giggles.

If she couldn't kill Iggy, why not sic Fang on him?

"Awww, Fangy-poo. Your rejection hurts!" Iggy said in mock pain. "Max, as a remedy for my heart-break, I just might have to turn my lips on you."

"Wrong way, Iggy," Angel said helpfully as Iggy leaned toward her. Iggy didn't stop in his course.

"Oh, Max!" he moaned. He collapsed on the bed beside Angel, but instead of kissing her, his hands attacked her in a tickling frenzy.

Angel shrieked and giggled like mad trying to fight Iggy off, but Iggy wouldn't budge.

Max softened. She _liked_ moments like these. When Iggy wasn't being a butt and was just messing around with his little sister. Why couldn't he be like this _all_ the time? Why did he have to ruin it with perverse comments and carrying a _nudgenudgewinkwink _attitude all the time?

Max laid back down on her make-shift bed and ran her hands across the spread. Iggy stopped tickling Angel, so Angel stopped screaming _Uncle!_ and the room returned to a semblance of quiet. Fang reflected on how close he'd just been with macking with his best friend. Nudge murmured in regret that she hadn't been the one Iggy had been tickling. Total muttered indignant statements on how he was just being _used_ and no one _really_ wanted him around, they didn't really _care_. The Gasman happily gave into his exhaustion and was about to drift off for good when Nudge piped up again.

"Fang: Truth or Dare?"

"Dare…" Fang's word ended in a yawn revealing just how tired they all were.

"I dare you to tell me the Truth."

Fang smirked.

"Max, Truth or Dare?"

"Truth."

"Okay. Both of you. When the war is over, when we finally do whatever it is that we have to do to save the world, to rid the world of Evil and whatnot, do you promise that you'll let us get a house? And we'll all share a room like this, but we'll all have our own bed, and we'll get to stay up like this and just goof around with each other? Do you promise that we'll always be together?"

At this point in time, Max couldn't fathom the war ending. Though she wanted it to, desperately, she frowned on deluded optimism and wouldn't think that far ahead. And even if they _did_ get a stable house after the war, the rooming arrangements would have to differ so that she wasn't sleeping within a ten foot radius of Iggy and Fang who would probably set their alarms six hours early just to wake her up and bug the living crap out of her. She didn't want to wake up, get out of bed and trip over Iggy's snoring body.

But Max _could_ promise Nudge one thing. As long as Maximum Ride was alive, she would keep her Flock together.

But before Max could say anything, Fang stated an emphatic, "Yes." His one word was a declaration to all the bad guys in the world who dared try to break the promise he made to Nudge. The Flock _would_ be together.

"Of course, Nudge!" Max said, as though offended by the fact that Nudge had thought they'd ever split up again. Not again.

**A/N: I typically frown on Truth or Dare fics, especially when the game is just used as a ploy to get Max and Fang together. There are, honestly, more creative ways to do that. So I tried to use this game as an outlet for the family side of the Flock which is my favorite part of the books. Not the romance between Max and Fang or even between Nudge and Iggy. I like the fact that the Flock is a family against the world.**


End file.
